On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Benzinger hits 5 3s, Wright St. beats Cleveland St. 70-53--CBS Sports
Northern Kentucky runs away from Youngstown St. 84-64--CBS Sports
Botz's FTs give Green Bay 78-76 win over UIC--CBS Sports
Valparaiso beats Milwaukee 68-56, runs home win streak to 21--CBS Sports
On The Menu: January 14, 2016--Blogging the Bracket

Elsewhere
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Milwaukee Panthers (12-5, 3-1) at Valparaiso Crusaders (13-3, 3-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)

Speaking of potential Championship Week previews, the Panthers will be the third straight Horizon contender aiming to knock off the Crusaders, with Oakland and Detroit both failing last week.

Tuesday’s Horizon League MBB Roundup: Northern Kentucky gets historic win; Green Bay victorious in wild finish--Press Row Sports

Day After: Wichita State 78, Missouri State 62--Wichita Eagle

Stat that might surprise you: WSU’s 17 offensive rebounds produced only 10 points. WSU’s big men, for a second straight game, didn’t take advantage of size mismatches and defenses that had to account for WSU’s outside shooters. Anton Grady, after making 8 of 13 shots and scoring 17 points against Evansville, is 2 for 7 with seven points in the past two games.

Instant Analysis | Louisville stifles Pitt--Louisville Courier-Journal

THUMBS DOWN

Trey Lewis: Damion Lee had a much better second half to get out of the "thumbs down" category. He was assertive and attacked the basket instead of trying tough, challenged shots. But Trey Lewis is really struggling. He had his second ACC game without a field goal, and his first scoreless game of the season. He was 0 for 6 for the night following a 3 of 19 performance. Just seems like he's forcing too much.

Iowa’s Clemmons enjoys reunion at Breslin--The Detroit News

As Iowa was busy blowing out Michigan State, 76-59, it was the first time former Lansing Sexton teammates Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Anthony Clemmons had been on the same floor together in college.
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It was a reminder for Clemmons of the two straight state championships he won with Valentine and Forbes at Lansing Sexton in 2011 and 2012.
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The great game never materialized as Forbes didn’t hit a shot and Valentine was just 5-for-12 for 14 points in his first game back in the starting lineup after injuring his knee in late December.

It was disappointing considering it was the first time all three played in the same game in East Lansing. That’s because the teams played just once last season — in Iowa City — and the first meeting this season also came at Iowa.

Forbes spent his his first two seasons at Cleveland State before transferring to Michigan State. He knew going in that Clemmons would be looking to shut him down.

“It’s like playing anybody else,” Forbes said. “We’re friends after the game. I don’t know if he knows all my tendencies, but he’s a great defender.”

Clemmons didn’t have to do much defending on Thursday as foul trouble limited Forbes to just 10 minutes.
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Slam dunks

Forbes is likely quite happy to be done playing Iowa in the regular season.

Thursday’s game was only the second time this season he didn’t have a basket and his 10 minutes of action were a season low. He entered the game averaging 14.4 points a game, but in two games against the Hawkeyes, he has five total points.

“Bryn struggles when people are physical,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

Pitt Panthers look to keep rising as undefeated ranks shrink: College Basketball Schedule & Scoreboard, January 14, 2016--Cleveland Plain Dealer

On the Horizon: Cleveland State (5-12, 0-4) gets back into Horizon League action tonight at Wright State (8-8, 2-1), looking to get that first conference victory. Conference leader Valparaiso (13-3, 3-0) is at home to Milwaukee (12-5, 3-1), which is one of four league teams with one conference loss.

Cleveland State drops Horizon League game to Wright State, 70-53--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Wright State Tops Cleveland State 70-53 to Drop Vikings to 5-13--NEO Sports Insiders
Vikings Fall on the Road to Wright State, 70-53--csuvikings.com

Reynolds Reaches 1,000-Point Milestone, Titans Fall to Raiders--detroittitans.com

OAKLAND-MICHIGAN STATE HIGHEST RATED GAME ON ESPNU--ougrizzlies.com

OAKLAND EDGED BY NORTHERN KENTUCKY, 75-71--ougrizzlies.com

Rapid Reaction: Green Bay 78, UIC 76--The Catch and Shoot
Ex-UIC coach goes home again--Whoosh!Net

Botz leads UWGB men to win--Green Bay Press Gazette
Botz Hits Clutch Free Throw Late to Give Green Bay Road Win at UIC--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWGB women stay hot in win over Valparaiso--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Dominates Valparaiso to Secure 11th Straight Win--GreenBayPhoenix.com